Solaris Yachts Review | 2025

By Alan McIlroy & Richard Baldwin

The headline for 2024 was the 50th Anniversary for Solaris Yachts. This important milestone was celebrated throughout the year, most notably at the Solaris Cup, but more about that later. For the Solaris yard it was another successful year with just under 50 new yachts delivered, demonstrating their continued success building beautifully crafted and stunning performance cruising yachts.

At the Berthon Solaris desk, we got the year off to a brisk start with boot Düsseldorf, quickly followed by multiple launches and handovers through March, April, and May. Both of us thoroughly enjoy the commissioning season, spending time with the team at the yard and getting afloat on the lovely waters of the north Adriatic is not a bad day job. With spring handovers completed, we then moved on to the Solaris Cup at the end of May.

Solaris Cup – 50th Anniversary Year

High registration numbers suggested it was going to be a big year for the Solaris Cup, and so it was. The weather gods smiled, the setting was idyllic, and with over 100 Solaris yachts in the fleet, it was a resounding endorsement of Solaris Yachts from Solaris Yacht owners. A truly Italian affair, the event was a combination of Solaris’s legendary hospitality, relaxed shore-side parties, an owners’ dinner, and of course Solaris entertainment.

On the water, given the size of the fleet, there were multiple starts over the two days of gentlemanly racing around the islands of Isola Soffi and Isola Mortorio. A record number of UK owners participated this year, with more than eight yachts flying red ensigns. The crews bonded quickly over an aperitivo, and it was great fun to see the brand’s growing popularity among UK buyers.

The Solaris Cup is also an opportunity for prospective new Solaris owners, giving them a chance to meet the Solaris family, and to view, and sail the yachts in a relaxed environment.

Solaris Continue to Lead the Field…

There are many important factors to consider when buying a new yacht: build quality, performance, safety, residual value, and, of course, price. But how much do we really think about value for money? Conventional wisdom tells us that if something is expensive, it must be of good quality, backed up with high levels of service and support. Perhaps, but in the luxury yacht market, some shipyards have their facilities in high-cost countries where labour and logistics are expensive. Often, construction and assembly methodologies are outdated so the number of man hours and yard movements are very high, and the result is a reassuringly large price tag. But how much of that price translates into tangible quality?

Cue Solaris, arguably the industry’s most efficient high-end shipyard, building outstanding quality yachts at a competitive price point. This is due to the brilliant team of professionals who own and drive the yard. Located in northern Italy, skill levels are excellent, frequently passed from father to son through generations of shipwrights. The Solaris yard operates from its original site in the historically important village of Aquileia at the head of the Adriatic. Incidentally, Italy has more shipyards per mile of coastline than any other country, yet wages remain relatively modest.

The state-of-the-art shipyard, combined with an almost forensic approach to constantly improving assembly design and techniques, enables each yacht to be built in optimal time. This increases production capacity and creates further savings. For example, a new Solaris 50 now takes only seven weeks to build from the moment the hull arrives at one end of the assembly hall to the time the keel is fitted and the yacht is ready for launch. All individual components, such as the hull, deck, joinery, machinery, mast, and keel, are built in parallel before final assembly.

These efficiency advantages mean that Solaris Yachts are around 20% less expensive compared to their equivalent competitors. This is compelling, but when considering that Solaris is at the cutting edge of yacht design—offering features like fore and aft tender garages on the Solaris 50 and 55—it’s easy to see why more discerning owners are taking a closer look at what Solaris has to offer, when thinking about their next yacht.

SOLARIS 74 RS LUMINOUS III

New Launches

The highlight of our new launches was the commissioning, launch, and handover of LUMINOUS III, hull #1 of the new Solaris 74 RS. She splashed in April and was handed over in May, just in time for the Solaris Cup in Porto Rotonda. Whilst all Solaris yachts are beautiful, she was the ‘Belle of the Ball’. With her slightly retro metallic blue topsides, wall-to-wall teak on deck, poised deck saloon, and carbon rig package, she really made an entrance. Bristling with systems below deck, she is fully equipped for world cruising in the lap of luxury.

Next on the slip was the new Solaris 55, a tall order for designer Javier Soto Acebal and the yard, given the popularity of her predecessor. Yet again, Solaris are ahead of the curve. Hull #001 had a soft launch at the Barcelona Solaris Adriatic Cup and then premiered at boot Düsseldorf. She is the latest development in progressive design, particularly relative to hull form. A more pronounced chine forward and increased volume in the bow result in a much more sea-kindly design with enhanced stability and a more powerful hull.

SOLARIS NEW 55

Summer and Cannes Yachting Festival

The summer months were punctuated with yard visits for both yachts in build and with prospective new owner visits. Solaris are proud of their facility and those contemplating Solaris ownership are super welcome.

The summer was rounded off with the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, an increasingly important show for Berthon Solaris. Each year we see an increasing number of UK clients. It’s a glamorous show late in the season with the added benefit of sunshine. Being an in-water show, we can showcase a selection of Solaris Yachts, and this year, we had the Solaris 40, 50, 60, and 64 RS afloat and in full commission. It’s not often you get to see four Solaris Yachts in boat show captivity!

As Solaris Yachts celebrates 50 years of excellence, the brand continues to push the boundaries of innovation, craftsmanship, and efficiency. With a strong presence at international events, successful new launches, and a growing community of enthusiastic owners, Solaris remains a benchmark in the world of performance cruising yachts. We look forward to seeing what the next 50 years will bring for this exceptional shipyard.

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